On April 29, 2024, Jamal Murray pulled up for a soft floater over the outstretched arms of Austin Reaves, his second game-winner of the Denver Nuggets’ first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers. The shot won the Nuggets the game and the series, cemented Murray’s legacy as a playoff riser, and wrote another scintillating chapter into one of the NBA’s best rivalries. It was the second consecutive season in which Denver had sent Los Angeles home, this one arguably even more gut-wrenching.
Crowns are forged in the hottest of fires, so it’s possible that a new king will be coronated during Tuesday’s game, which begins at 10 p.m. ET at the Nuggets’ Ball Arena. At the very least, the winning team’s star player will hold bragging rights until the next time the teams meet.
There’s also something more tangible at stake this Rivals Week: because it’s a Tuesday, DraftKings is running its King of the Court promotion. If users opt into the contest and use their King of the Court token on a player prop bet with -200 or longer odds, that bet will become an eligible entrant to the contest. Any user who used their token on the player who finishes with the most combined points, rebounds, and assists tonight will receive a share of $1 million in bonus bets to be paid out the next day, proportional to the number of users who used their token on the player.
The bet doesn’t have to hit: for instance, if a user bets on the LA Clippers’ James Harden to make four or more three-pointers, and he only makes three but ends up leading all players in P/R/A, that user will still be paid out their share of the bonus bets. But hitting on a bet never hurts.
The three players with the highest P/R/A over-unders for tonight’s slate are the Lakers’ Luka Dončić (47.5), Harden (44.5), and the Philadelphia 76ers’ Tyrese Maxey (40.5). Below, I’ll lay out my favorite prop bets centered around those three players so users know where to start as they bet on the stars.
Luka Dončić 40+ Points + Rebounds (-106)
Though Los Angeles is struggling through a midseason malaise, going just 6-7 across the last month to drop into the Play-In Tournament picture, it hasn’t been Dončić’s fault. Across that span, the Slovenian has averaged 30.5 points, 5.6 boards, and 7.9 assists per game, and his efficiency has started to tick upwards after a rough start to the season shooting-wise. He’s been particularly sharp over his last four games, making 43.9% of his triples and recording 40-plus combined points and rebounds on two separate occasions. He did miss the Lakers’ loss on Saturday with a groin injury, but it didn’t seem to affect him in his return the following day, and he’s off the injury report entirely.
While Dončić’s effectiveness and aggression on the glass has been down over the last month, tonight represents an excellent opportunity for him to bounce back. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Denver has been impotent on the boards since Nikola Jokić and Jonas Valančiūnas went down with knee injuries, ranking dead last in rebounding percentage across that span. That isn’t entirely a matter of opportunity, as its rebounds have been contested at the second-lowest rate. Plus, his points will account for the vast majority of his combined P/R, and the Nuggets also rank seventh-to-last in defensive rating without Jokić.
James Harden 30+ Points (-123)
Harden had taken somewhat of a step back scoring-wise as Kawhi Leonard rediscovered MVP-level form, averaging just 23.8 points per game across arguably the best 24-game stretch of Leonard’s Hall of Fame career. However, since Leonard sustained a knee contusion and was ruled out at least until Thursday, Harden has made the most of high usage, scoring 31 points in an overtime win over the Toronto Raptors and adding 36 last night against the Washington Wizards. He hasn’t shot the ball well at all, making just 17.0% of his threes across the last five games, but he’s gotten to the line at will and been automatic once he gets there.
Harden should continue being aggressive as a driver against the Chicago Bulls, who have allowed the most restricted-area tries in basketball (though just the eighth-most since offense-oriented point guard Josh Giddey went down with a hamstring injury). The Bulls have improved to just the 10th-worst defensive rating and have slowed down their pace dramatically with the more methodical Tre Jones at point guard, so I’m going fairly conservative instead of opting for his 31+ (-106) and and 35+ (+185) props, but 30+ seems reasonable for Harden against, in effect, a league-average team.
Tyrese Maxey U1.5 Steals (+108)
When the All-Star starters were announced yesterday, Maxey was recognized with the honor for the first time in his career. He responded with arguably his best game of the season, as he had 29 points, eight assists, and eight steals in the 76ers’ win over the Indiana Pacers, increasing his total to 13 steals in his past two games. These two outliers have buttressed his overall average, which is up to 2.1 per game, but he’s had one or fewer steals in nearly half his games. He might be slightly less wont to gamble for steals with Joel Embiid, one of the league’s better rim protectors, likely to miss tonight’s game, the second of a back-to-back.
Maxey has a difficult matchup tonight in the Phoenix Suns, who have been one of the league’s biggest positive surprises. The Suns have no real weaknesses, as they rank in the league’s top half in opponent points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. But Phoenix’s play-style doesn’t lend itself to Maxey’s strengths: it attempts a below-average number of passes, and Maxey is most active in the passing lanes. Plus, Grayson Allen — who could be Maxey’s primary assignment if VJ Edgecombe or Paul George takes on Devin Booker — ranks just fourth on the team in touches per game and seventh in dribbles per touch.
How to Play King of the Court
- Opt in to receive your King of the Court token in the Promotions page.
- Bet on an NBA Player Prop on DraftKings Sportsbook and apply your token (Minimum leg odds of -200 apply).
- If the player you wagered on with your token applied was the points, rebounds and assists leader that night, win a share of $1 million in bonus bets paid out the next day.
For more information on this promo, click here!
